Another week, another Five Art Things thing, on we go and never mind the bliss or the selfies in front of the art or whatever we said last time. Normal service almost resumed, am I falling out of love with art? Five art things, five more art things happening somewhere around right now (or any moment now). Five art shows to check out in the coming days as we repeat ourselves. We do aim to make this an (almost) weekly round up of recommended art events, five shows, exhibitions or things we rather think might be worth checking out. Mostly London things for that is where we currently operate and explore, and like we said last time, these five recommendations come with no claims that they are “the best five” or the “Top Five”, we’re not one of those annoying art websites that ignore most things whilst claiming to be covering everything and proclaiming this or that to be the “top seven things” or the “best things this weekend”. This Five Things thing is simply a regular list of five or so recommended art things happening now or coming up very soon that we think you might find as interesting as we think we will…
And we should add, that entry to these recommended exhibitions and events, unless otherwise stated, is free…
1: Lucy Jones, totally, completely and absolutely Lucy Jones at Flowers Cork Street – 9th July until 2nd August 2025 – Well we’ve seen her banners hanging above Cork Street already this summer and no comes the actual show; “Recognised as one of the most distinct voices in contemporary self-portraiture, Lucy Jones’ raw and revealing self-portrayals are both personal and politically charged. Addressing themes of femininity, fragility, ageing and disability in her work, she challenges societal perceptions of difference while looking inwards into her own internal dialogues”.
Flowers Cork Street is found at 21 Cork Street, London, W1S 3LZ. The Gallery is open Monday to Saturday, 10am until 6pm. The Lucy Jones exhibition runs from 9th July until 2nd August 2025.
Previous Flowers Gallery coverage on these pages
2: Gaza Gaza Gaza at Studio 1.1 – July 10th until July 27th – “We are proud to present a show in conjunction with Artists Supporting Palestine” say Studio 1.1. From what we can see from the gallery’s usual vague information, the show will run from July 10th until July 27th with a so called Private View (these things are hardly ever private, you can usually just walk in) on the evening of the 10th. We’re told all proceeds from all works included in the show including a dedicated space for smaller “postcard” works, no larger than 5 x 7″ which will be priced at £20 will go directly to @medicalaidpal. I’m told there are hundreds of pieces of art and yes, as futile as it all might feel, I would have been happy to piss into the wind as well if anyone had asked of if the memo had come this way (I only say that because someone asked me why I wasn’t taking part). “Thank you to everyone who has already shown their solidarity with the people of Palestine and continues to do so. If you’ve not felt able to do this yet, please start now” said Studio 1.1
Studio 1.1 is the last gallery standing on Redchurch Street, the full address is 57a Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, London, E2 7DJ
Previous Studio 1.1 coverage on these pages
3: Soft Landing at Palmer Gallery – 11th July until 9th August 2025, while a so called Private View will take place at the gallery on Thursday 10th July, 6-9pm. – Now the acknowledging of the legacy of this space is impressive, art needs to know where it is, it needs to be part of things,; “Rubber, steel, engine oil, aluminium, bitumen, carbon – once the materials used by Palmer Tyres for their industrial production, have now been re-imagined for Soft Landing, Palmer Gallery’s tenth exhibition. Featuring Hannah Perry, Levi De Jong, Tom Bull and Madeleine Ruggi“.
“The show draws on the Palmer Gallery building’s industrial legacy, transforming its history of material innovation into experimental cross-disciplinary contemporary practice – the core of the gallery’s program.
In 1940, after its East London factory in Silvertown was destroyed during the Blitz, Palmer Tyres – the company behind the first aircraft tyre that didn’t burst on landing – was relocated by the government to a factory on Hatton Street in Lisson Grove. Renowned for material innovations, Palmer was among the first to experiment with inflatable rubber, pioneering early pneumatic tyres for bicycles, then automobiles (I think they mean cars?), and eventually aircraft. Their new site – one of the first all-concrete structures in London – was thus transformed into an aeroworks, producing tyres, brake parts, and gun turrets for Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Lancaster Bombers. It became a space where engineers, fabricators, and machines worked in tandem, creating a material symphony of rubber, metal, oil, heat and smoke.
It is this spirit of industrial ingenuity, material experimentation, and cross-disciplinary exchange that is the schematic for Soft Landing, an exhibition which features artists whose practices engage with the aesthetics and processes of manufacture. At a time when digital innovation – particularly the rise of AI – dominates cultural discourse, and as we find ourselves increasingly confined to virtual realities and meta-spaces, Soft Landing redirects attention back to the material world: to labour-intensive processes, analogue tools, and the resistant tactility of substances like metal, rubber, oil, and tar. Though rooted in hard industrial matter, the works in Soft Landing are transformed through creative endeavour, allowing materials to take on a surprising softness – like an inflatable tyre pressing into hard tarmac – reshaped by the artist’s hand into forms that are reflective yet open-ended. More broadly, using Palmer Gallery’s industrial history as a point of departure, the exhibition explores how the legacies of industry continue to inform contemporary life – raising questions around class, gender, labour, trade, and national identity.
Palmer Gallery is at 15 Hatton Street, London, NW8 8PL. The space is open Tuesday through to Saturday, 11am until 6pm, midday until 5pm on Saturdays. Theshow runs from 11th July until 9th August 2025, while a so called Private View will take place at the gallery on Thursday 10th July, 6-9pm.
4: Cafe FM: free, immersive pop-up blending music, art, and culture at PhotoBook Cafe – 14th until 18th July 2025 – now this looks interesting, not sure it as muchof a recomendation as something that has us curious? “Cafe FM is a week-long pop-up exhibition in Shoreditch blending music, art, and culture under one roof. Curated by global creative agency Golden Wolf, award-winning label Take Your Medicine, and next-gen entertainment brand Doodles, it’s a collaboration built on a shared love of creativity in all its forms. From July 14–18, head down to the basement of Photo Book Cafe and step into a nostalgic, greasy-spoon-inspired space brought to life with bold visuals, unexpected sounds, and interactive experiences. Hang out, discover new music, explore immersive art, grab a drink, and maybe even pick up some exclusive merch”. What the hell is a “next-gen entertainment brand”? And why does that set off Generation X songs in my head?
PhotoBook Cafe is open Monday to Friday, 8am until 9.30pm. You find it at 4 Leonard Circus, London, EC2A 4DQ
5: Deptford X time again, 11th to 27th July 2025, although after experiences in recent years we can’t honestly recommend it until we’ve been and seen how the land lies this year for ourselves. Fingers crossed, there is usually something that make it worth going, ah hell, there will be good things to see even if it is a little too aloof and unfriends these days. Yes, we’ll recommend it and go and support Deptford, that wonderfully old school High Street and the people of the Market are under attack from those damn gentrifiers right now.
“We’re thrilled to announce that this July, Deptford X, London’s longest-running visual arts festival, will take on a bold new format!” say those currently pulling the Deptford X strings . “This 26th edition of the Deptford X free festival takes on a bold new biennial format, expanding the festival to 18 days of incredible art from the 11-27 July 2025. Join us in celebrating three major strands of our programme with over 500 participating artists in 100+ artist-led Fringe projects, eight new artist commissions and a participatory street parade created with schools of Lewisham”. Let’s hope this year feels a little more in touch then thing have been in recent years, Deptford X has kind of lost touch with people, artists and especially those who helped establish X in the first place, what is it that the nail-on-the-head Public Enemy are raging about on their excellent new album? Ah yes, ageism.
“Since its inception in 1998, Deptford X has been a platform for artists who have strong links with the area. We’ve welcomed thousands of visitors each festival and featured celebrated artists like Chila Kumari Singh Burman, Evan Ifekoya, Hew Locke and Bob and Roberta Smith”. We shall see if things are a little more in touch this year, let’s see if they walk it as well as they talk it, art is so often good at doing the talk and then when you get there there is very little actual walk. Last time there were lots of fancy signs leading us mostly to locked doors, watch this space I guess?
“Our summer festival highlights the sheer diversity and breadth of artistic practice by artists connected to the area, showcasing ambitious new work in exhibitions, performances, open studios, workshops, participatory events and tours. As in previous years, Deptford X offers audiences encounters with visual art in and around Deptford, across multiple sites, in both everyday and unexpected places. Come and experience art situated in our locality that includes artist-led spaces, university venues, shops, cafes, restaurants, community spaces, libraries and a former college building”.
The opening night of this year’s Deptford X is 11th July 2025 from 6pm until 9pm, best to head for the High Street and look for the signs or explore the website. The festival then runs until 27th July 2025
Previous Deptford X coverage on these pages
And we should mention that excellent Lindsay Mapes show on the canal boat has bee nextemded by a week so you can still catch it – ORGAN THING: Back to the delight of the Canal Boat Contemporary, last week that box on the side of the boat featured the paintings of Lucile Haefflinger, this week we find Lindsay Mapes and her excellent Pick’n Mix installation…
THE ORGAN 